The territory of West New Guinea (West Irian) had been in possession by the Netherlands since 1828. When the Netherlands formally recognized the sovereign independence of Indonesia in 1949, the status of West Irian remained unresolved. It was agreed in the Charter of Transfer of Sovereignty concluded between the Netherlands and Indonesia that the status quo of the presidency of New Guinea would be maintained under the Government of the Netherlands. The ambiguity of the language, however, led the Netherlands to consider itself the sovereign power in West New Guinea since this would be a continuation of the "status quo." On the other hand, Indonesia, interpreted the Dutch role to be strictly administrative, with the implication that West Irian would be incorporated into Indonesia after a year.
The status of the territory was still being disputed when Indonesia brought the matter before the United Nations in 1954. Indonesia claimed that the territory rightfully belonged to it and should be freed from Dutch colonial rule. The Netherlands maintained that the Papuans of West New Guinea were not Indonesians and therefore should be allowed to decide their own future when they were ready to do so. The future of the territory was discussed at the General Assembly's regular sessions from 1954 to 1957 and at the 1961 session, but no resolutions on it were adopted.
In December 1961, when increasing rancor between the Indonesian and Dutch Governments made the prospect of a negotiated settlement even more elusive, Secretary-General U Thant undertook to resolve the dispute through his good offices. Consulting with the Indonesian and Dutch Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, U Thant suggested that informal talks take place between the parties in the presence of former United States Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker, who would act as U Thant's representative. The parties agreed and talks began in early 1962.
However, tensions between the two sides soon increased when Indonesia landed troops in West New Guinea. The Netherlands charged that the landings constituted an act of aggression. Indonesia refuted this on the grounds that "Indonesians who have entered and who in future will continue to enter West Irian are Indonesian nationals who move into Indonesia's own territory now dominated by the Dutch by force." U Thant urged restraint by both parties but declined a Dutch request to send United Nations observers to the scene, noting that such action could only be considered if both governments made the request.
Further incidents were reported by the Netherlands during the first months of 1962, and there were intermittent lulls in the progress of Ambassador Bunker's talks. A number of communications from the Netherlands and from Indonesia were circulated as documents of the Security Council in connection with this question.
On July 31, 1962, U Thant announced that a preliminary agreement had been reached and that official negotiations were to take place under his auspices. The final negotiations were held at United Nations Headquarters under the chairmanship of U Thant, with Ambassador Bunker continuing to act as mediator. On August 15th, an agreement was signed by Indonesia and the Netherlands. Ratification instruments were exchanged between the two countries on September 20th. The following day, the General Assembly took note of the agreement in resolution 1752(XVII), which authorized the Secretary-General to carry out the tasks entrusted to him therein.
The agreement provided that the administration of West New Guinea (West Irian) would be transferred by the Netherlands to a United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA). UNTEA would be headed by a United Nations Administrator and would be appointed by the Secretary-General. Under the Secretary-General's jurisdiction, UNTEA would have full authority to administer the territory, to maintain law and order, to protect the rights of the inhabitants and to ensure uninterrupted, normal services between October 1, 1962 and May 1, 1963. At that time, the administration of the territory would be transferred to Indonesia.
The agreement also stipulated that the Secretary-General would provide a United Nations Security Force (UNSF) to assist UNTEA with as many troops as the United Nations Administrator deemed necessary. In a set of related understandings to the main agreement, it was established that United Nations personnel would observe the implementation of the cease-fire that was to become effective before UNTEA assumed authority. The United Nations was therefore entrusted with a dual peacekeeping role in addition to its administrative responsibilities as the executive authority.
To pave the way for the arrival of UNTEA and UNSF, a cease-fire between Indonesian and Dutch forces had to be enforced. U Thant appointed Brigadier-General Indar Jit Rikhye to head the military observer team that would supervise all arrangements for the cease-fire. Six states (Brazil, Ceylon, India, Ireland, Nigeria and Sweden) agreed to provide observers for this purpose. The observer force was assembled in West Irian within days of the signing of the agreement. A cease-fire went into effect on August 18th. By September 21st, General Rikhye was able to report that all Indonesian forces in West Irian had been located and identified.
With the cessation of hostilities, the next step was to ensure the maintenance of law and order in the territory. On September 4th, Major General Said Udin Khan of Pakistan, the Commander of UNSF, arrived in Hollandia for preliminary discussions with Dutch authorities and for a survey of future requirements. By October 3rd, an advance party of 340 troops arrived in the territory. UNSF reached its full contingent of 1,500 troops on October 5th.
On October 1st, the Netherlands transferred the administration of West Irian to UNTEA in conformity with the agreement. The Secretary-General appointed Djalal Abdoh to be the UN Administrator on October 22nd. During the UNTEA mandate, Dutch land and naval forces were gradually withdrawn from the territory. By November 15th, this process had been completed without incident. In addition, UNTEA was responsible for transferring the civilian administration from Dutch personnel to Indonesian officials. Throughout this period, UNSF maintained peace and security in the territory.
On May 1, 1963, the UNTEA Administrator transferred full administrative control to the representative of the Indonesian Government. The ceremony was performed in the presence of the Secretary-General's personal representative C.V. Narasimhan and the Indonesian Foreign Minister. At that time, the UN flag was lowered.
Source: The Blue Helmets: A Review of United Nations Peace-keeping. Copyright 1990 United Nations. Published by United Nations Department of Public Information.
